Category Archives: human rights

Anti-Black Racism is Still the Fulcrum of White Supremacy | Race Files

 

Scot Nakagawa

Lifelong political activist, community organizer, organization builder, and trouble-maker.

“I continue to view anti-black racism as the nut of American racism. Poor black people continue be miner’s canaries and prophets of destruction, their experiences of oppression and exclusion still the tip of the spear of threats to democracy, the security of our citizenship, the stability and security of our economy.The condition of the black community should be viewed as a lens through which we can better understand the state of capitalism as it quickly morphs into something new, something even more threatening. Black lives matter, both as a moral necessity, and as a matter of mutual self-interest.As our great vulnerabilities are being exposed by a regime that will displace many of us, we should remember this. Our survival may depend on this understanding.I refer you to Zora Neale Hurston –“I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background.”That sharp white background is coming into focus for all of us. But, lest we forget, for some the blinding whiteness of that background has never been beyond view, never anything but the very paper on which the stories of lives of those most targeted by the fulcrum of white supremacy are written.”

Source: Anti-Black Racism is Still the Fulcrum of White Supremacy | Race Files

Man, 73, Shot Dead by Officer Had a Crucifix, Not a Gun, Police Say – The New York Times

“Explains everything – a non-Hispanic calls police and claims he thinks there is a Mexican with a gun across the street – so of course – when police arrive he is shot and killed – no questions asked…” So this is not new, happens dozens of times a year. It is a shame and should not be the automatic but it is. When will whole community say – NO MORE!

According to the police, a woman who lives across the street from Mr. Serna was removing items from a vehicle outside her home when she noticed a man standing behind her. He turned out to be Mr. Serna. She said he asked if he could get in the car. He was allowed only to look into the vehicle, and the woman went inside her house, the chief said.The woman later said she had believed that Mr. Serna had a firearm because his hand was in his jacket, and she saw an object with a handle, the chief said. She told her husband about the encounter, and he called the police to report a man outside with a gun.“He is brandishing a firearm,” the husband said, according to a recording of the 911 call, which was published by KERO television station. He said the man was an “older Mexican gentleman” and that it looked like the firearm was a revolver. “He could be the neighbor across the street or a visitor; I am not for sure.”When officers arrived, the woman pointed out Mr. Serna as he left his house, Chief Martin said. The police said they shouted to Mr. Serna to take his hands out of his jacket and to stop walking toward them. But he continued and entered the woman’s driveway, officials said.

U.S. Officials: Putin Personally Involved in Hack

Ultimately, the CIA has assessed, the Russian government wanted to elect Donald Trump… ‘It is most certainly consistent with the Putin that I have watched and used to work with when I was an ambassador and in the government,’ said Michael McFaul, who was ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014.’He has had a vendetta against Hillary Clinton, that has been known for a long time because of what she said about his elections back in the parliamentary elections of 2011. He wants to discredit American democracy and make us weaker in terms of leading the liberal democratic order. And most certainly he likes President-elect Trump’s views on Russia,’ McFaul added. Clinton cast doubt on the integrity of Russia’s elections.”If this were a plot for a movie, it’d be rejected for its sheer petty absurdity. The GOP never, ever gets to invoke the name of their beloved St. Ronnie Raygun again, not after they gleefully supported Putin’s lapdog. Jesus Christ.

Violence against women: Mexican senator vows to fight gender violence after vicious attack | In English | EL PAÍS

This is a cowardly act,” said Guevara, unable to hold back tears. “I have always been a simple person, I don’t have a chauffeur or bodyguards. I am always encouraging civic behavior among people. I believe in my country and this is where we have to do our work.”Guevara, known to Mexicans for earning a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Games in the 400-meter dash, said she did not identify herself as a senator while she was being attacked.“It was hard for them to identify me because I was wearing glasses and my helmet… I took every single blow they delivered.”

Source: Violence against women: Mexican senator vows to fight gender violence after vicious attack | In English | EL PAÍS

Don’t spread ‘straight-man cancer’, China feminist warns Trump | World news | The Guardian

“We wish you to watch out, the feminists worldwide are speaking, and we are watching you.”Zhang called on Trump to respect women’s rights, warning him not to use his position to spread “straight-man cancer”.The term has become popular in China in recent years to describe a “disease” among narrow-minded men seeking to control women and work against gender equality.“Straight-man cancer” also chastises men seen to cling on to traditional Chinese norms in relationships, such as suppressing women’s rights through official policies, devaluing female labour and branding educated women as unattractive.“In general ‘straight-man cancer’ is the equivalent of ‘male chauvinist pig’ in English,” Zhang wrote.

Source: Don’t spread ‘straight-man cancer’, China feminist warns Trump | World news | The Guardian

Madonna Calling it Like it is, Tells Us the Sexist Entertainment World Has Rules for Women and None for Men – The Ladies FingerThe Ladies Finger

She drew inspiration from David Bowie, who gave her a chance to think that there were no rules, but Madonna still had to come to terms with the fact that freedom was offered only to the men in the industry. She had to battle between being accused of trying too hard or not at all, between being objectified or dismissed as promiscuous, while her contemporaries, like Prince, were being just as provocative without having their legitimacy as artists questioned.The superstar, who has remained the highest grossing female touring musician for the past 12 years, spoke of the violence and discrimination she faced from the time she was a teenager trying to find her way through New York to the present day. This endurance and resilience, she added, might well be the most controversial thing about her: “Michael is gone, Tupac is gone, Prince is gone, Whitney is gone, Amy Winehouse is gone, David Bowie is gone… But I’m still standing.”Drawing from her long search for a female peer who would support her and her acceptance of herself as a “bad feminist”, she encouraged women to recognise their own self-worth, rally around each other’s achievements and to not confine themselves to men’s expectations. She talked about growing old in an industry where “to age is a sin.”Madonna really meant it when she sang “It might sound like I’m an unapologetic bitch, but sometimes you know I gotta call it like it is”, and we couldn’t be happier.

Source: Madonna Calling it Like it is, Tells Us the Sexist Entertainment World Has Rules for Women and None for Men – The Ladies FingerThe Ladies Finger

How to whitewash the killing of two Palestinian teens | +972 Magazine

The Israeli state prosecutor will shortly sign a plea bargain with Border Police officer Ben Deri, who is on trial for killing Palestinian teenager Nadim Nawara in the West Bank town of Beitunia in May 2014. According to the deal, Deri will be charged with causing death by negligence, rather than manslaughter. As such his punishment will likely be symbolic, perhaps even just community service. Under the terms of the plea bargain, the indictment will say that the live bullet which killed Nawara “worked its way” into Deri’s rifle magazine, which was not supposed to have contained any bullet casings.

Source: How to whitewash the killing of two Palestinian teens | +972 Magazine

Hunger strikers lose their eyesight as Israel refuses to free them | The Electronic Intifada

The Palestinian Committee for Prisoners’ Affairs reports that Shadid, 19, has almost completely lost his sight and ability to speak and Abu Fara, 29, has completely lost sight in his right eye.The two men have refused all food since 25 September, to protest their indefinite detention without charge or evidence. They were arrested at the beginning of August.

Source: Hunger strikers lose their eyesight as Israel refuses to free them | The Electronic Intifada

‘Rebel’ Saudi Arabia woman who posted photo without head scarf is arrested | World news | The Guardian

After a fierce backlash from ultra-conservative critics online, Shehri took down the picture and deleted her Twitter account. Other Twitter users came out in support, with one comparing her to Rosa Parks.Thousands of Saudis signed a petition in September that demanded the government abolish the guardianship system, which prevents women from engaging in fundamental tasks without the permission of a male relative.

Source: ‘Rebel’ Saudi Arabia woman who posted photo without head scarf is arrested | World news | The Guardian

A Palestinian Writer in Search for Freedom – Fanack Chronicle

“On my blog and in my books I write about my life: what it’s like to be a woman, who is a Muslim, who is living under occupation, while being divorced. These are not so much hardships, except the occupation. But combined, these factors are a hardship as hard as the occupation itself. It’s the patriarchal society I’m living in that makes it a burden to be a divorced Muslim woman.“I want to be liberal. To be free. Freedom is something you choose, from the inside. I don’t wear a headscarf and I have a boyfriend. My life would be perfectly normal somewhere else. But not in Palestine.”Meet Nadia Harhash, a Palestinian writer based in East Jerusalem. Her blog, called “Living in the Shoes of a Woman“, receives widespread attention in her home country, not least because of her coverage of Palestinian politics. Her posts are also published on the websites of Huffington Post English and Arabic.“I was married for 13 years. I’m a normal person. People can get divorced. But in my case, it was like getting divorced from society, from everyone I know and don’t know. I had just hoped that both our lives would become better without each other in it. But suddenly, everyone was involved. A divorce threatens the very structure of our society.“It’s like a mafia culture: it looks good on the surface, but actually my divorce threatened my mother, my sister, my friends. Everyone is having problems in their marriages: people cheat, women get beaten. But instead of supporting me, my female family members and friends started attacking me. I made them reflect on their own lives. I unveiled the truth. My mother was afraid that my sisters would want to divorce their husbands as well, and what would the people say? But I still went ahead with it. In the end, it’s my life.”

Source: A Palestinian Writer in Search for Freedom – Fanack Chronicle